Fuel feeding system



, 22, 1935. H. HUEBER ET AL 1,988,797

FUEL FEEDING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 13, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Henry Hueber E rwm (LHorTon,

B M *MTTORNEYS Jan. 22, 1935. H. HUEBER El" AL FUEL FEEDING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 13. 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Henry Hueber a 9mm CHOflOtL M \rM U- ATTORNE Jan. 22, 1935. H. HUEBER ET AL 1,983,797

' FUEL FEEDING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 13, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 W Y J 24 i s;

57 72 42 Q X 49 H 47 48 I VE ToRs Henry ue era. Erwm C. Horton,

y ATTORNEYS Patented as, as, i935 l,988,797

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FUEL FEEDING SYSTEM Henry Hueber, Bufialo, and Erwin C. Horton, Hamburg, N. Y., assignors to Trice Products Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application October 13, 1931, Serial No. 568,628

8 Claims. (Cl. 158-36.4)

This invention relates to fuel feeding systems drawings, the motor vehicle is provided with the for liquid fuel burning engines and is primarily internal combustion engine 1 having an intake directed to a fuel feeding system for the internal manifold 2, a carburetor 3, and a fuel supply tank combustion engines of motor vehicles. 4 which latter is preferably disposed at the rear 5 Various systems have been employed heretofore of the car and has the fuel supply pipe 5 lead- 5 for the feeding of fuel to engines, such as the ing therefrom. This pipe communicates with the gravity feed system, or the fluid pressure feed inlet port 6 of the fuel pump 7. In the form illussystem in which pressure is supplied to the fuel trated by way of example, this pump embodies a supply tank for placing the fuel therein under diaphragm 8 dividing the fuel chamber 9 from 10 a pressure suflicient to force it to the carburetor the pressure chamber 10. This pump constitutes 10 at a higher level. This fuel pressure system has the subject matter of our co-pending applicagenerally been unfavorably'regarded by the fire tlon for patent filed February 26, 1930, Serial underwriters because of the fire hazard resulting No. 431,587. The pressure chamber 10 is confrom -a leaky fuel line,-as when the motor vehicle nected by a conduit 11 to a source of suction is in storage. It has also been proposed to proand by passage 21 to the atmosphere, automatic l5 vide a fuel pump for moving the fuel from the valve mechanism 12 acting to alternately connect supply tank to the carburetor but this system has the chamber to the suction and to the atmosalso met with objection from the automotive in- Dhere. This results in first lifting the diaphragm dustry. The fuel is not supplied in the exact reto intake fuel, and then permitting the power quirements of the carburetor, and the manner of spring 13 t pull wn n the diaphragm to xp l 20 operating the pump soon renders the pump ineflithe intaken fuel out through the outlet port 14 t and 11 1 past outlet valve 22, thence through conduit 15 The object of the present invention is to proand into the carburetor 3. The automatic valve ide an emcient fuel feeding system in which mechanism 12 embodies the vacuum port valve 16 super-atmospheric pressure is employed to move a d the atmospheric D Va Which are 25 the fuel from the supply tank to the point of t nat y s at d and unseat d y and du n consumption and further to eliminate all fire hazve ent of the phrag a d through the ard incidental to the use of pressure so that the strumentality of the snap over spring arrangemotor car may be placed in storage without fear ment e l, as it enters the Pump Passes of the pressure forcing the fuel out of the system through Sediment Chamber 19 and from thence 30 through faulty connections. upwardly past the valve 20 into the chamber 9. In th drawings: Y This form of fuel pump places the fuel between Fig; 1 is a view depicting a fuel feeding system the carburetor and the chamber 9 under the urge embodying one form of the invention. of t e power spring 18 except wh e pu p s Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of a fuel intakihg- 35 feeding pump which may be used in the present The source of suction to which the chamber 10 system. is connected may be the intake manifold 2, or

Fig. 3 is a detailed plan view of a portion of said the Suction D p 3 bOth- The Suction P p pump. comprises a casing having an inlet port 26 with Fig. 4 is a sectional view illustrating aform of an outward y seating valve a an u tp 4o suction producing pump which may be inoorpo- 23 with an inwardly Seating Valve h ratedinthe fuel feeding system. let port may discharge directly to the atmos- Fig. 5 is a sectional view through a pressure Dhere indirectly 'fl e engine Crank controlling device disposed between the suction case 30 as illustrated. The piston 31 of the sucproducing pump and the supply tank of the motor t On pu p s c ed y the piston d 3 o 45 vehicle. being reciprocated by a drive 33, herein depicted Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a device for relievas bein he ca Shaft 0f t or vehicle ening the pressure in the feed system when the gine, the drive moving the piston in one direction vehicle engine is at rest. against the tension of the spring 34 which serves Fig. 7 is a detailed view of the 3-way connecto return the piston in the opposite direction of 50 tion between the intake manifold, the fuel pump movement. The particular pump illustrated has and the suction pump. the inlet and outlet ports disposed at the oppo- Fig. 8 is a detail view of the manifold connecsite sides of the piston so that the latter will bytion. pass the intaken fluid or air about the piston, the

Referring more in detail to the accompanying flexible packing flange or lip of the cupped pack- 56 ing member yielding to accomplish such transfer.

The inlet port 26 is connected by a conduit 35 to a coupling T 36 which in turn is connected to conduit 11 and, by a conduit 37; to the manifold 2. A valve 38 closes against a seat 39 when they manifold suction is less than that of the pump so as to avoid pulling fluid from the manifold.

Therefore, when the manifold suctionis suflicient to unseat the valve 38 it will operate the pump 7 in conjunction with the pump 25 and fuel will be pumped from the supply tank 4 through the pipes 5 and 15 to the carburetor, but when the manifold suction becomes insufficient then the mechanically dri en suction pump 25 will assume the whole burden of furnishing the pump 7 with an ample supply of negative pressure.

During the operation of the suctionpump, the air or fluid intaken through the port 26 and bypassing either about the periphery of the piston, or through a suitable by-passing valve (not shown), will find ready escape through the outlet port 28. However, the piston is reciprocated at a high rate of speed by reason of the rapidly revolving cam shaft 33. This results in the production of a back pressure at the outlet side of the piston. This back pressure may be augmented by providing the outlet valve 29 with a backing spring 40 to retard the ready exhaust of the air. The present invention utilizes this back pressure toward building up a small pressure in excess to the atmospheric in the supply tank to assist the fuel pump 7 in moving the fuel from said tank to the point of consumption.

To this end there is provided in the pump 25 a port 41. This back pressure port 41 is connected by a conduit 42, 42 to the supply tank 4, and at a suitable point in this passage there is provided a checkvalve closing toward the pump and opening to permit fluid, under the impulse of the created back pressure, to pass into the supply tank. An example of a suitable check valve is shown in Fig. 5 as comprising a case 43 into which the conduit 42 opens through a valve seat 44. A valve disc 45 engages the seat 44 to close the passage therethrough, the disc being supported in a suitable manner, as by a perforat ed diaphragm 46, to readily open and admit the passage of fluid from the conduit 42 to the conduit 42 and then close to prevent the retrograde flow of such fluid. Each impulse of the pump 25 will deliver a small amount of fluid under pressure and by reason of the check valve the fluid will be retained under pressure and will gradually build to the pressure desired above atmospheric. The supply tank, having its upper portion airtight, will retain this fluid under pressure for use in forcing the fuel out through the condui 5 to the fuel pump 7. A

By reason of the outlet port 28 which permits the ready exhaust of air from the suction pump the pressure built up in the tank 4 will be restricted and will not approach a critical pressure. The pressure built up will preferably not exceed three or four pounds but it may be varied by adjust-- ing the tension of spring 40 or changing the dimensions and clearances of the pump itself. Obviously, when the pressure in the supply tank exceeds the back pressure the valve 45 will close and no further building up of the pressure will result. Thus, the combined action of the fuel pump 7 and the pump 25 ill increase the pressure differential, by reducing the pressure on the outlet side of the fuel from tank 4 and increasing the pressure on the fuel in said tank, and thereby effectively increase the transfer of fuel from said tank to the point of consumption.

If the fuel in the tank is left under pressure when the car is placed in storage, it could easily be forced out through a faulty fuel line and spread over the floor of the garage and thereby create an objectionable condition. To this end, when the vehicle power plant is rendered inoperative or the motor vehicle engine is at rest means are provided to relieve the super-atmospheric pressure in the supply tank. This relieving means consists of a venting device 57 which is closed by suction and is herein shown as consisting of a valve 47 in a conduit 48. This conduit is in communication with the supply tank, or its conduit 42, and opens through chamber 49 and discharge 50 to the atmosphere.

A diaphragm 5l,is connected to the valve 47 and separates the chamber 49 from a-suction chamber 52 which latter is connected by a conduit 53 to both sources of suction as herein illustrated, the conduit 53 being connected to conduit 35 and through the latter to the intake manifold. When the engine stops and the manifold suction dissipates, the diaphragm 51 will return to its lower position, as shown in Fig. 6, to thereby unseat the valve 47 and permit the escape of fluid, which is under pressure in the tank 4, into the chamber 49 and out to the atmosphere through the discharge 50. As soon as the engine is again started, suction will lift the diaphragm 51 so as to pull the valve 47 to its seat and thereby close the conduit 48 to the escape of any further fluid. The same is true with respect to the connection with the inlet side of the suction pump since when the suction pump comes to rest and the suction in the conduit 53 dissipates itself, the diaphragm 51 will lower to unseat the valve 47 and thereby- 'vent the supply tank 4 to the atmosphere. This is true regardless of the fact that the valve 38 may momentarily adhere to its seat 39, since the suction in the intake manifold as well as in the suction pump 25 will soon become dissipated after the engine comes to rest, such dissipation being due to incidental leakage in the respective parts of the motor vehicle.

Consequently there is provided a fuel feeding system in which pressure producing means subject the fuel in the supply tank to a pressure and automatically vent the supply tank to relieve any pressure therein when the producing means is inoperative, such as when the motor vehicle is put in storage or parked. This eliminates practically all flre hazard incidental to the fuel being forced out through faulty connections, but as soon as the motor vehicle is again put in operation the venting means is rendered inoperative and the required pressure built up to insure the proper feeding of fuel.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fuel feeding system, the combination with a suction operated fuel feeding pump having its fuel inlet connected to the fuel supply permit building up a pressure in said supply tank.

2. In a fuel feeding system, the combination with a suction operated fuel feeding pump havall) ing its fuel inlet connected to the fuel supply tank of an engine, a suction producing pump having an inlet port connected to the first pump for. supplying the same with sub-atmospheric pressure for operating the same, means for operating the suction pump, said suction pump having an outlet port and a back pressure port,

a valved passage connecting said back pressure port to the supply tank for building up a pressure therein, and a suction closed venting means for the supply tank connected to the inlet port of the suction pump and rendered operative upon the failure of the supply of suction.

3. In a fuel feeding system for internal combustion engines having an intake manifold, said system having a supply tank from which fuel is forced by fluid pressure, means for subjecting the fuel in the supply tank to a fluid pressure above atmospheric, and venting means for the supply tank rendered inoperative by the suction from the intake manifold of the engine.

4. A fuel feeding system comprising, in combination, a supply tank having an outlet through which fuel is forced under pressure, a fluid pump for subjecting the fuel in the tank to superatmospheric fluid pressure, means for venting the tank to the atmosphere when the pump is inoperative, and means responsive to the pump action for rendering the venting means inoperative whereby fluid pressure may be built up in the tank.

5. A fuel feeding system for motor vehicle engines, comprising, in combination with the carburetor, and the fuel supply tank thereof, a fuel pump having its inlet communicating with the tank and its outlet in communication with the carburetor, means for operating the pump, pressure producing means for placing the tank fuel under fluid pressure to assist the pump in moving fuel from the tank to the carburetor, and engine controlled means for venting the tank to the atmosphere when the engine is at rest;

6. A fuel feeding system for motor vehicle engines, comprising the intake manifold, the

carburetor, and the fuel supply tank of the engine, a suction operated fuel pump having its inlet connected to the tank and its outlet connected to the carburetor, a suction connection between the pump and the manifold, a suction producing pump connected to the fuel pump to boost the manifold suction, said suction producing pump having an outlet and a back pressure port, means connecting the back pressure port to the supply tank to build up a pressure therein, and a suction controlled venting device for the tank connected to the suction connection and acting to vent the tank upon the failure of suction in said suction connection.

7. A fuel feeding system for motor vehicles having an intake manifold, a carburetor and a fuel supply tank, a suction operated fuel pump having its inlet connected to the tank and its outlet connected to the carburetor, a suction conduit from the manifold to the pump to supply the same with operating suction, a mechanically driven suction pump having its inlet connected to said suction conduit, a second conduit connecting the suction pump-to the supply tank for placing the fuel in the latter under pressure, means for preventing retrograde flow of pressure from the tank to the suction pump, means for venting the supply tank of said pressure, suction operated means for holding said venting means inoperative, and a connection from such suction conduit to said suction operated means.

8. In a fuel feeding system, in combination with a suction operated fuel feeding pump having an inlet connected to the fuel supply tank of an engine, a suction producing pump having an inlet port connected to the first pump for supplying the same with subatmospheric pressure for operating the same, means for operating the suction pump, said suction pump having an outlet port, and a valved passage connecting said outlet port to the fuel supply tank for building up a pressure therein.

HENRY HUEBER.

ERWIN c. HORTON. 

